'China's donation to RGF was a bribe for destroying domestic businesses': Sushil Modi

BJP leader and Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi on Friday hit out at the Congress party over its alleged controversial dealings with China. Modi observed that India's economy had to bear a heavy price because of Congress' MoU with the Communist Party of China and the Chinese Embassy's donation worth Rs.90 lakh received by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF). He alleged that the Congress-led UPA government opened up the Indian market for China which badly affected the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. According to Modi, China's donation to RGF was a "bribe" for destroying the domestic businesses. 

Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi wrote, "The country's economy had to bear a heavy price because of the Congress party's MoU with the Communist Party of China and donation worth Rs.90 lakh received by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation from China. The Congress-led UPA government opened up the Indian market for China which badly affected the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. The Chinese donation received by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation was a bribe for destroying the MSMEs."

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Congress faces serious accusations

The political blame game between BJP and Congress commenced after 20 Indian Army personnel were martyred in a violent clash with Chinese troops at the LAC on June 15. While the latter questioned the Centre's handling of the crisis, BJP accused the Congress leadership of having close ties with China. For instance, the MoU signed between former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Wang Jiarui, Minister of the International Department of Central Committee of the CPC on August 7, 2008, has come in for criticism.

The agreement reportedly pertained to exchanging high-level information and cooperation between Congress and the CPC besides providing the two parties with the "opportunity to consult each other on important bilateral, regional and international developments”. Moreover, BJP highlighted that Congress-backed RGF had received a donation of Rs.90 lakh from the Chinese Embassy in India in 2006-07. While Congress president Sonia Gandhi is the chairperson of the trust, senior party leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, Dr.Manmohan Singh, P Chidambaram and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra serve as trustees.

Earlier in the day, BJP president JP Nadda shared documents to show that the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund money had been donated to the RGF. Terming this as a "brazen fraud", Nadda contended that one family's hunger for wealth had cost India immensely. While the Congress party has admitted that an MoU was signed with CPC, it is yet to respond on the allegations pertaining to the controversial donations to the RGF. 

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